Juanita Faddis stole $111,758 during 3 years as accountant

A Hesperus woman arrested earlier this year on charges she embezzled more than $100,000 from Basin Coop was sentenced June 28 after pleading guilty.

Juanita Faddis, 36, had worked in the co-op’s accounting department for three years and gradually siphoned money from company balance sheets, president and CEO Lynn Forssberg said.

After becoming suspicious of Faddis’ activities, Basin Coop alerted the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Jim Hendricks carried out the investigation and arrested Faddis in late January.

“It was an unfortunate incident. (Monitoring mechanisms) finally caught up with her,” said Forssberg. “I’m surprised and disappointed that someone would be in the frame of mind to do something like that.”

Investigators believe Faddis acted alone; no other arrests were made.

Property theft valued at $1,000 or more is a felony. Faddis’ sentence includes 90 days in jail, 10 years probation, 200 hours of community service and restitution in the amount of $111,758.

Forssberg said the theft did not hurt business because insurance reimbursed the stolen money. Since the arrest, the co-op has adopted stricter policies to promptly detect any future financial anomalies.

“I wish we would have caught it quicker, but it was caught, and that’s what matters,” he said.